Becky Nichols
Teacher
Democrat
Menasha
Elected Experience
Menasha City Council (2013-2025); Winnebago County Board (2022-2024)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I believe in a government that works for everyday people. I’m a problem solver working to improve people’s lives with real solutions rather than short-term fixes. Having served 12 years on the Menasha City Council, I’ve sat at countless kitchen tables and listened to people’s stories — their victories, their struggles, and their hopes. Those stories guided me in making decisions that helped people and strengthened our communities. Today, I hear stories about how families are struggling with rising costs from healthcare to groceries. We need a representative in Madison who is ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work to lower costs.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
The cost of living is the top issue in my district. Working people deserve to be able to pay the bills, put food on the table, and have a little left over at the end of the week. The cost of everything is going up faster than wages. I’ll work to lower costs and make sure people don’t have to work multiple jobs to support their families.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
For too long, Madison has been ignoring the needs of this community as families are struggling to make ends meet. I believe people want their government to work for them, and for their representatives to reach across the aisle to get things done. My accomplishments on the City Council and County Board were products of my collaborative approach, such as working to pass legislation making it achievable and affordable for families to remove lead pipes in Menasha. I want to take that approach to Madison and work for policies and investments that invest in people, families, communities.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
America’s first kindergarten class was held in Watertown in 1856.
NEW News Lab general election questions
Relevant Experience
I am a wife, mom of two kids, and longtime public school teacher. I served on the Menasha City Council from 2013-2025 and on the Winnebago County Board from 2022-2024, delivering major wins like replacing lead pipes to ensure clean drinking water for our area and upgrading Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue’s regional training facility to improve response times when there’s an emergency. In the Assembly, I’ll put that experience to use and work with people of all viewpoints and backgrounds to get things done that improve life for people in Assembly District 53.
Wisconsin has a large budget surplus. What should lawmakers prioritize: tax cuts, increased spending on public services, or something else?
I support using the one-time budget surplus to make targeted investments that benefit the middle class and working families. Whether it’s providing property tax relief, delivering targeted tax cuts, lowering the cost of health care or making sure our children can receive a world-class education, the Legislature can do more to put more money in your pocket and provide for a better quality of life. I will oppose efforts to direct surplus dollars to benefit the wealthiest people in our state while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet.
What policies are most important to address Wisconsinites’ concerns about cost of living?
I’m a mom and public school teacher raising two kids, so I personally understand how difficult it’s gotten to afford gas, groceries, health care and our property tax and utility bills. Working people deserve to know they’ll be able to pay the bills, put food on the table and have money left over at the end of the week. I want to put more money in your pocket by lowering the cost of health care, banning corporate price gouging, raising the minimum wage and delivering property tax relief.
Housing costs have risen in many Wisconsin communities. What role should state government play in creating more affordable housing?
Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live, a place to call home. I know this is getting hard for a lot of folks. The Legislature can do more to increase affordable housing options for families and help first time home buyers be able to afford a home. To start, our state government can make it easier for communities to build more housing. That could involve updating our zoning laws and expanding low-interest financing for housing development.
What policies would best address Wisconsinites’ concerns about property taxes?
Great public schools, sturdy roads, clean water, beautiful parks and trails and essential services like fire, police,and EMS make Wisconsin a great place to live, work and raise a family, but the way we pay for them is unsustainable. Our state government used to chip in more to provide a great quality of life, but in recent years local property taxpayers have borne a greater share of those costs or they’ve experienced a reduction in services. To reduce property taxes, I favor an approach where our state government does more to help fund the services people expect and deserve.
Funding of public education has been an issue and has been tied to property taxes for years. Schools often rely on local referendums for funding staffing, programs and maintenance. What specific changes would you support to the state’s school funding formula and how would you pay for them?
Every child deserves a world-class education, no matter who they are or where they live. Under Republican leadership in Madison, our public schools are chronically underfunded, resulting in referendums that shift costs onto local property taxpayers or budget cuts that reduce the quality of education our kids receive. Students deserve better. In the Assembly, I’ll work to fully fund public schools and tie the funding formula to the rate of inflation. It’s time to phase out policies that give taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools and close tax loopholes used by the ultra-wealthy to avoid paying their fair share.
Should the state direct more funding toward voucher and school-choice programs and what evidence supports your position?
Taxpayers should not be footing the bill for two school systems, especially one that is not required to serve every child. Vouchers are siphoning off money from public schools, and the Legislature has chosen to hide how many of your tax dollars are supporting private schools. I support legislation that requires property tax bills to include the amount of money taxpayers are paying for vouchers, holds private schools to the same standards as public schools, caps enrollment and prioritizes funding our public schools.
What steps can the Legislature take to alleviate court backlogs and address the need for more judges, prosecutors and public defenders?
I support adequately funding our state’s judicial system, which makes law and order possible. It’s how criminals are prosecuted, how victims receive justice and how we uphold the sacred constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial. Earlier this year, the Assembly passed a plan to reduce backlogs in the courts. It did not receive a vote in the Senate before lawmakers concluded their work for the year. I will be a strong advocate for funding our state’s judicial system.
How do you feel about the number of prisons in Wisconsin - should there be more? Less? Why?
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections plays a vital role in protecting the public from dangerous offenders. I’m grateful for the difficult work our corrections officers do every day. Wisconsin’s prison population just hit a record high, and overcrowding has been a problem for years, jeopardizing the safety of our corrections officers. Solving this problem will require a long-term, holistic approach that keeps violent offenders behind bars and provides rehabilitation for people who can safely return to society. I am committed to working with people from both sides of the aisle and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to enact solutions
How significant an issue is climate change? What would you advocate for related to climate change if elected?
Our planet is changing. Human activity is affecting weather patterns, growing seasons and our economy. Right here in the Fox Cities, we feel the effects of climate change each day as we recover from one of the largest tornadoes in northeast Wisconsin’s history. Our state should play a bigger role in addressing climate change. Whether it’s reducing our reliance on fossil fuels in favor of clean, renewable energy sources, making buildings more energy efficient or investing in flood mitigation, I want Wisconsin to be part of the solution.
Wisconsin’s bipartisan support for a PFAS law to hold polluters accountable and the state's lower maximum contaminant levels for drinking water put it out in front nationally on forever-chemical protections. Some say the best way to prevent PFAS contaminations is to outlaw their use, while others hope to reverse the regulations. How important is this issue? What still needs to be addressed? How should remediation costs be raised?
Everyone has a right to safe drinking water. “Forever chemicals” like PFAS are harmful to human health. There are communities across Wisconsin who rely solely on bottled water for basic functions. This is not right. I wholeheartedly support efforts to prevent the pollution of our drinking water and hold polluters accountable.
What do you think of the implementation process for the new Medicaid work requirements so far in Wisconsin? What has worked? What could be improved?
Families across Wisconsin are struggling to make ends meet – something I hear frequently from voters I talk to is the rising cost of health care. The Legislature should be doing more to ensure that every Wisconsinite has access to affordable health care. Whether it is prescription drug prices, insurance costs or access to care, Wisconsinites are having a harder time getting the care they need.
What do you think about funding the 988 crisis line long-term at the state level?
People deserve access to reliable services and support when they or someone they love are experiencing a mental health crisis. I will be an advocate to make sure that everyone in our state can continue to depend on the 988 crisis line.